


The Problem

by thebermuda



Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, this is probably super dumb but I've been thinking about it lately
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-10
Updated: 2015-05-10
Packaged: 2018-03-29 20:37:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,481
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3909823
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thebermuda/pseuds/thebermuda
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Severin is discharged while Sebastian and Jim are away on business. They come back, and their brothers are sleeping together. What to do?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Discovery

Sebastian had lived with Rich long enough to know when Rich took his naps. Therefore, when he entered the flat, Jim lagging behind him, struggling to haul his suitcase up the stairs (he would not let Sebastian touch it, because _Prada),_ he knew to be quiet. He kicked off the fur-lined boots he’d worn during their fortnight in St. Petersburg and made his way, softly, to Richard’s open doorway. 

Oh, shit. 

Jim came gasping through the front door, bag in both hands, and Sebastian shushed him with a finger to his lips. He gestured for Jim to come down the hall. 

Together they peered through the bedroom doorway. Richard’s white curtains were drawn, billowing out from open windows. Sunlight shone through them, heating the room, and two picturesque, nude bodies lay entangled on the sheets. Severin’s arm was draped over Richard’s torso. Richard’s hair was damp, either from the shower or sweat, and he was holding Severin’s hand to his own chest, as if he’d fallen asleep stroking it. 

“That fucking slut,” Sebastian growled beneath his breath. 

Severin, the selfish _moron,_ was smiling in his sleep. He must have felt real fucking accomplished, sleeping with his brother’s boss's...brother. 

If he’d been back for more than two weeks – if he knew a single goddamned thing about how Jim and Seb operated – he’d have known that no one messed around with Richard. Richard was _sensitive._ Richard didn’t do hook-ups or casual sex; had no concept of what they were for. 

Which was why it hadn’t dawned on Sebastian that leaving Severin alone with Richard for two weeks might be a bad idea. Richard didn’t sleep with people until he was _in love,_ and that took time. Or was supposed to take time. 

“Fuck,” whispered Sebastian. “Oh, fuck, Jim – ” 

Jim put a hand on his wrist; a warning. He moved toward the living room, and Sebastian followed. As soon as they were on the sofa, Sebastian met Jim’s gaze. This was his replacement for speaking: Let Jim look into his eyes and read all his emotions. It was more effective than trying to describe his feelings and getting angry instead. 

“Shh…” said Jim. He reached out, and Sebastian lowered his head. Jim urged him with a light push to rest his head in Jim’s lap. 

This was good. This meant Jim wasn’t angry. Jim understood: Sebastian had spent the last fifteen fucking days in the cold and damp, for hours, every night, on the roofs of warehouses and in the open, drafty rooms of abandoned office buildings, keeping in position with his finger on his rifle until Jim’s targets came within reach. Springtime in St. Petersburg was no joke. His bones were achey and he was exhausted and, yes, he’d begged Jim to let Severin stay here. Which made all this his fault. But he wasn’t in the state to take a punishment right now. 

Jim knew. 

“My poor Sebastian,” Jim whispered. He stroked along Sebastian’s jawline. “This isn’t your fault.” 

Sebastian opened his eyes, looking up at Jim. “It is. I – ” 

The soft finger on his cheek turned to nail. 

“You’re going to contradict me?” Jim said, voice dipping dangerously. 

Something stirred in Sebastian, but he said, “No, sir.” 

“If I say it’s not your fault, it’s not.” Jim’s voice was still hard. Sebastian forced himself to close his eyes again, as if relaxed. He turned on his side and pressed his face to Jim’s stomach. He breathed in the smell of Jim’s cologne, the scent of a crisp, new suit, and said, “Yes, sir.” 

“Good.” Jim relaxed again, and the stroking resumed. “I don’t think I need to say that your brother can never see Rich again.” 

“Of course,” said Sebastian. “But what if Rich blames us?” 

“For…?” 

“Taking Sev away.” 

“Shh. He won’t miss your brother. He has you,” said Jim. 

“You have me,” Sebastian murmured, his lips perking into an involuntary half-smile as Jim traced them. 

“I’m giving you to him tonight. Sleep with him, won’t you? I’m sure he’s only with your brother right now because he’s been missing us. Remind him what a Basher Moran Special feels like.” 

Sebastian sat up. “Those are reserved for the boss.” 

“Are they?” Jim asked, tilting his head. “I didn’t know.” 

He sounded pleased, though. 

“Well, regardless,” Jim continued. “I’ll be taking Severin out to dinner tonight – I’ll let him know where we stand. I’m assuming that, out of the brotherly love you have for him, you’re going to insist I pay for his hotel until he finds somewhere else to stay?” 

Sebastian looked at him hopefully. “His pension wouldn’t cover a hotel.” 

“Very well.” Jim sighed. “And you, meanwhile, will remind Richard that he already has access to a Moran. A _much_ superior Moran. Do whatever he wants you to do, yes?” 

Sebastian groaned. “He’s just going to want to cuddle for an hour.” 

Richard was sweet, and more than a little cute, but Sebastian had no idea what to do with his own arms when Richard curled up on his lap. And his neck kisses tickled; made Sebastian yearn for Jim’s teeth. 

“Then cuddle for an hour,” Jim said. It was an order, and it seemed a suitable punishment. 

“Yes, boss,” said Sebastian, and in that moment a sweet giggle erupted from down the hall. Jim tensed, hand on Sebastian’s shoulder. 

“No tickling!” came Richard’s voice, sounding breathless and delighted. 

“You said you love my tickling!” The first time Sebastian heard Severin’s voice in-person in over a year. He sounded like an _arse._

“Oh, Christ,” Sebastian growled softly. 

“You said you love my… Mmm… My fingers all over you…” Why was Severin so _loud?_

The giggling dissolved into the soft sounds of kisses, and it was only Jim’s nails digging into Sebastian's skin that kept him from punching the sofa. He was positive that Jim’s flat had never witnessed anything so repulsively saccharine. 

“I’m not tickling Rich tonight,” Sebastian whispered. 

“You will if he wants you to,” said Jim. “You will do whatever it takes to make him forget you have a brother.” 

“Mm… Oh! N-no!” The giggling started up again. “You can’t…mm…tickle my cock like that! Oh, Severin! O-oh…” 

Sebastian stood. 

“I’m going to throw up,” he said, and headed to the front door. 


	2. Dinner

Severin wasn’t counting on Jim to pay the bill – or at least not Severin’s half of it. Which would seem fair, as Severin and Jim had no particular liking for one another, linked only through Sebastian and, now, Richard. But Jim had chosen the restaurant, and it wasn’t the type of place a just-discharged soldier relying on a pension would ever choose himself. 

So when Jim ordered his 300 pound bottle of wine, Severin opted for the water. 

The waitress brought back two wineglasses. She filled them halfway, and, once she was gone, Jim pointedly pulled them both toward himself. 

“Now,” said Jim, pressing his hands together. “Where shall we begin? Ah, I know.” He raised his wineglass to his lips. “I’ll give you one thousand pounds if you stop fucking my brother.” 

Severin suppressed a cringe. ‘Fucking.’ It was normally his word of choice, but in this case it reflected Jim and Seb’s shared ignorance of his relationship to Richard. There was no way to explain it to them: He didn’t exactly want Jim taking notes while he and Richard spent their afternoons together, entwined in bed, sometimes nuzzling for hours before one of them remembered to pop a cock in his mouth. The sublime, simmering adoration Severin had discovered between Richard’s sheets had nothing to do with ‘fucking.’ Richard could not be defiled; only loved. 

“Don’t be crude,” said Severin. 

Jim took him to mean the money. 

“Ten thousand pounds, then,” he said. “Or a hundred. Name the price.” 

“This is priceless,” said Severin through his teeth. “And you and Seb are disgusting if you think you can tell us how to – ” 

“One million pounds,” said Jim. 

“Would you _shut up?”_ said Severin. “There’s not a chance in fucking hell – ” 

“Are you ready to order?” The waitress approached. Her guarded smile said that she’d heard Severin very clearly. 

“Tuna tartar,” said Jim, not looking away from Severin. 

“I’ll just be having the water, thanks,” said Severin. The waitress frowned and left them. 

Jim sighed. “If I can’t buy you out, then I have conditions for you.” 

“Conditions?” Severin asked. 

“That you have to meet in order to continue dating my brother. If you refuse, you’re out of our flat tonight, and I will order Sebastian to keep you away,” said Jim. 

If Jim were anyone else, Severin would agree to any condition he might have without hearing them. Because with anyone else, they would be the standard _Hurt him and I’ll kill you_ kind of thing. But with Jim, the conditions could very well be _Self-flagellate three times a day,_ or some other such rubbish. 

So Severin cautiously said, “What are the conditions?” 

“If you date him, you can’t break up with him. My brother gets to decide when _he’s_ done with _you,”_ said Jim. 

“Deal,” blurted Severin. That was always how this was going to go anyway. Despite the worries Rich occasionally expressed, there wasn’t a chance of Severin leaving Rich alone until Rich wanted him to. 

Jim raised his eyebrows. "That means no one night stands. No flirting with - "

"I understand monogamy," said Severin. He also understood that craving anyone who wasn't Richard was, from now on, impossible. He couldn't explain the absoluteness of his feelings, but he knew they were sincere.

"Should you ever get confused, I'll know immediately," said Jim. That was a threat. It was always a threat with Jim.

"CCTV and all that. Got it, thanks," said Severin. "Condition number two?"

Coolly Jim took a sip of wine. “You have to spend money on him if he asks,” he said. 

If that was supposed to be humiliating, it didn’t work. Severin had discussed his unemployed-soldier-on-modest-pension situation with Rich, and he didn’t anticipate Rich making any kind of demands. Rich wasn’t like that. 

He said, “Agreed.” 

“Excellent,” said Jim, and his lip twitched. “My third condition is that you never make my brother cry.” 

“No,” said Severin. 

Richard’s crying was unpredictable, and Severin would probably make Richard cry within the next week. Richard had once burst into tears when he saw Severin throw a water bottle in a trashcan instead of the recyclables. And then he’d cried again, and kissed Severin, after Severin reached into the disgusting park garbage to fish the water bottle out. 

Severin opened his mouth to continue, but Jim interrupted. 

“No deal,” he said. 

“Wait.” Severin raised a hand. “I can’t promise that Richard won’t cry. But I can make other promises. I – ” 

“I didn’t say the conditions were negotiable,” said Jim. 

“Stop,” said Severin. Before Jim could speak, he hurried to say, holding up a finger, “I promise to never tease or belittle Richard when he cries.” He held up another finger. “I promise to never get irritated with his mood swings.” A third. “I’ll always listen to him, and I promise to comfort him whenever he needs it.” And a fourth, final finger. “I will provide him with chocolate as needed.” 

  


Severin Moran. He had none of the qualities Jim valued in Sebastian and all the qualities of _normal people_ that Jim despised. 

Jim’s third condition had been the whole point of the evening. If Severin had agreed to it, Jim would have called off the deal, because obviously never making Richard cry was an impossible request. And, naturally, if Severin had disagreed, then the deal would have been off anyway. 

But this response wasn’t what Jim had expected. 

And Jim liked surprises. 

  


“You _are_ Sebastian’s brother,” said Jim, and Severin had neither expected that reply nor the appreciative tone of Jim’s voice. 

“Obviously,” Severin said. 

“Shut up,” said Jim, leaning forward, and his eyes were brighter than usual. He was fingering his lower lip, scrutinizing Severin, peering too deeply for Severin to be comfortable. “You’re a bit interesting, aren’t you? Just a bit.” 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” said Severin. 

At that moment, the tuna tartar came. The waitress placed it on the table, all red, raw flesh, and Jim slashed a fork through it with delight. 

“People never do,” he said. “I’ve learned not to mind.” 

  
* * * *

Severin hadn’t fully opened the front door before Richard was in his arms. 

“Severin, Severin, Severin, Severin.” Richard sounded desperate, like he’d been crying, and they hadn’t known each other for long, but Severin sensed that Richard was truly upset. 

Severin heard Jim coming up the stairs just behind him. 

He took Richard in his arms, and Richard pressed tight against him. 

“Richie, what’s wrong?” he said. 

“Please don’t let them do this,” Richard sniffed, in a rush. He grabbed Severin, forcing his ear to Richard’s mouth. Richard whispered: “Sebastian’s in the living room. If he makes you leave, meet me in three days at the Holiday Inn at Regent’s Park. I’ll get a room, and we can make plans.” 

He pulled away, talking very quickly. “Please, Severin, I need you to stay – ” 

“Oh, _yes,_ Se-vuh-win. Don’t leave. We wuv you too much.” Jim approached them, openly disgusted. 

Richard’s eyes went big, and he let go of Severin. 

“Big brother, please – ” 

“Relax. You’re keeping your boyfriend,” said Jim, abruptly toneless. 

Richard gaped. He looked first at Severin, who was trying to smile reassuringly, and then into the living room, at Seb. 

“But Seb said that you were going to forbid Severin from – ” 

“Your dear boyfriend said he wouldn’t give you up for a million pounds. What was I to do?” Jim shrugged and pushed past the two. He looked over his shoulder, likely to see if they were following, but rolled his eyes when he saw Richard clinging to Severin again. He closed the front door, leaving them alone on the stairs. 

“Not for a million pounds?” Richard asked. Severin’s heart swelled; Richard looked deliriously happy. 

“Wouldn’t be much of point if I couldn’t buy you something nice, would there?” asked Severin. 

Richard laughed and went on his toes to kiss him. And this felt nice, easy – almost too easy, like life wasn’t supposed to unfold itself before Severin so helpfully. 

“I feel like this should be harder,” said Severin. He had simply come to his brother’s place to crash for a bit; somehow he’d met his soulmate. 

That was a dangerous word. He added that to the list of words he wasn’t going to say to Richard just yet. 

“I can make it harder,” said Richard. He blinked innocently through his eyelashes while his hand reached for Severin’s groin. 

“Our brothers might let us date,” said Severin gently, “but we still need to be decent.” 

He kissed the top of Richard’s head, and they made their way inside. 


End file.
